Talk to me about teeth whitening...

[lizzyann]

Anybody ever use Brite Smile? Or another in office teeth whitening system? If so, how effective was it? Did it hurt during or after the treatment? Has the results lasted? Worth the money?

I have tried the teeth whitening with the custom trays back when I got married and while it gave a good result, it took a long time for results, and I hated sleeping with those darn trays in.

 

[distracts]

I did Zoom two weeks ago. Hurt the day of and that was all. Several shades whiter and definitely worth it because I hate whitening at home - by the time I start seeing results, my teeth hurt too badly and I have to stop. Hurting for just one day was much more palatable! My teeth are much whiter than they were but still not as white as I want them, so I'm considering doing it again. They send you home with an at-home kit but that's useless to me since I hate the at-home whitening so much.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I did zoom 6+ years ago. I never realized I had sensitive teeth until then. It was pretty painful. I believe I did a thread on it at the time. I rarely used the trays and had to get the weakest bleach solution. My MIL can sleep in her bleaching trays My teeth are too sensitive for that.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I did zoom 6+ years ago. I never realized I had sensitive teeth until then. It was pretty painful. I believe I did a thread on it at the time. I rarely used the trays and had to get the weakest bleach solution. My MIL can sleep in her bleaching trays My teeth are too sensitive for that.

ETA: I have noticed that many dentists are offering teeth whitening for new clients. Might be an easy/free way to try it out unless you are in love with your current dentist.

 

[JewelFreak]

I did the custom take-home trays about 10 yrs ago -- could not keep it up long enough for results. It was too painful. I felt if my teeth hurt that much, they were trying to tell me something.

Do off-the-shelf whiteners work?

Note: I wish people would not go too far with lightening teeth! They are not ever originally white-white, like a porcelain bathtub. Sometimes folks go so far with it that all I can pay attention to when they talk are their flashing gleaming mouths. You don't look at their eyes, their faces or expression. It comes across as fake, like a bad face lift.

I read once that you should not get your teeth whiter than the whites of your eyes; it looks unbalanced & makes people stare at your mouth instead of looking you in the eye, fairly reasonable advice.

--- Laurie

 

[VRBeauty]

I recently used the white strips to prep my teeth for new caps (teeth I broke as a kid). I'd tried the white strips before but never stuck to it - this time, a deadline and a good reason to go through it provided the motivation I needed. The first application or two was uncomfortable, but it quickly turned into no big deal. I got to where I put them on just before I left for work in the morning and removed them 30 minutes later when I parked my car for work. I realize white strips are now considered "old school" (I'm behind the curve as usual!) but was quick, effective, and painless. I used the "professional" strips sold at the dentist's office and it took less than half the box to get me to where I wanted to be, so I have plenty left for touch-ups (and I can do them whenever I want).

 

[VRBeauty]

Note: I wish people would not go too far with lightening teeth! They are not ever originally white-white, like a porcelain bathtub. Sometimes folks go so far with it that all I can pay attention to when they talk are their flashing gleaming mouths. You don't look at their eyes, their faces or expression. It comes across as fake, like a bad face lift.

I read once that you should not get your teeth whiter than the whites of your eyes; it looks unbalanced & makes people stare at your mouth instead of looking you in the eye, fairly reasonable advice.

--- Laurie

Laurie - My dentist showed me the set of new "reference teeth" - used to match tooth color for caps - for today's "whiter than white" teeth. Apparently dentists refer to them as the "American Standard." And to answer your question, the professional white strips did a very good job for me. I used about 20 treatments to get my upper teeth back to where they were when my earlier set of crowns was put on - maybe 25 years ago? My lower teeth were a bit more stained so I'm doing a few more treatments there to get a good match. They just put on the new permanent caps three days ago BTW so this is all fairly fresh in my mind!

 

[lizzyann]

Distracts and Tacori, was your pain during the actual whitening or after the whitening? Also, was it a burning due to the lights or more of a sensitivity kinda feeling? Sorry if that doesn't make sense. Tacori, six years later, have your teeth stayed pretty white?

Laurie, I am not a coffee drinker but I enjoy my colas and over time I have noticed my teeth are very...shall I say "drab" colored. I am not looking for movie star white, but they definitely need a brightening if you know what I mean.

VR, do you only use the strips once a day? And how long did it take for you to notice a difference.

Thanks for the feedback!

 

[kenny]

The active ingredient in all those expensive teeth whiteners is Hydrogen Peroxide.

A bottle of 3% HP costs under a dollar and is available at any drug store/food store/Target/Costco/WalMart etc.

Mix half HP and half water and swish around mouth for 30 seconds.
Don't swallow.
Do this nightly for a week or two depending on results you are happy with.

If your gums become sensitive reduce strength or time.

 

[Skippy123]

I would use the month long Crest stuff. the only problem is you can't eat colored foods, your teeth are porous and sensitive. I noticed the Crest strips had the same results as the trays at the dentist.

 

[dani13]

Hey Lizzy!!!!

I did BriteSmile 2x in the past, and was always happy with the results. Zoom is supposed to be even better, but more expensive. I see alot of Groupon deals for Zoom..sometimes they'll have it half price with some random dentist, but as long as they're reputable, you can always do it with them, then go back to your regular dentist My Mom did that and was very happy with the results.

Both MH and I have very sensitive teeth. During the treatment, I get "zinger" type pains in my teeth which are sharp and somewhat uncomfortable. Then I would say for the 24 hours following the treatment, you probably will experience some pain. MH says, "it feels like every nerve in every tooth is exposed.... even AIR hurts." LOL, he's a bit of a drama queen I would say, he actually called his dad (he's a retired dentist) for a prescription for Percocet the first time he had it done b/c he was so uncomfortable!!! Im sure you'll think Im evil, but I was totally cracking up behind his back. MEN!!!! Honestly, to me, its a bit painful for a day or 2, but then its totally fine. Very much worth it!! I'm pretty sure my results lasted for even more than a year.

 

[distracts]

I did zoom 6+ years ago. I never realized I had sensitive teeth until then. It was pretty painful. I believe I did a thread on it at the time. I rarely used the trays and had to get the weakest bleach solution. My MIL can sleep in her bleaching trays My teeth are too sensitive for that.

The Zoom I used is the new one - the dentist said they had a lot of sensitivity with the old one but people are having barely any with the new one. It was $300 which included at-home trays.

My pain was not during the actual whitening but started maybe an hour later? They did send me home with some "relief gel" or something, I'm not sure it made a difference. They also say to brush with the anti-sensitivity toothpaste for the week before you get it done but I forgot. Still it was SO much less painful than all the at-home stuff I've tried. Which has been a lot, because my teeth grew in dark yellow and I was traumatized by kids making fun of me in elementary school. Now I have just a few shades left before they're at the whites of my eyes, which is where I want them to be.

 

[VRBeauty]

VR, do you only use the strips once a day? And how long did it take for you to notice a difference.

Mostly once, sometimes twice, and there was a day or two when I skipped it entirely. I saw noticeable results within the first week. Do keep some sensitive toothpaste on hand just in case. I only had sensitivity issues for one or two days, but I was glad I had it when I did.

AprilBaby shared her dental office's recommendations not long ago:

https://www.pricescope.com/communit...-whitening-kits.182650/#post-3322984#p3322984

I have to say that my dentist didn't mention any need to cut out coffee etc while I was bleaching my teeth. However, I was doing without coffee, wine, and tea (and a few other goodies) during that time anyway for other reasons, and I have no way of knowing whether my restricted diet contributed to the success of the white strips. My dentist (or rather, his assistant) also cautioned against over-whitening. She said you can whiten your teeth to the point where they take on a bluish tint - and that's not reversible.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Lizzy, keep in mind I had no idea I had sensitive teeth until I tried zoom. Cold drink, etc, never bother me. It hurt during and after. It felt like little electric shocks in my teeth. Horrible. I would not do it again if someone paid me! I will try to search my old thread. My teeth were fairly white to begin with but I was getting married. I don't drink coffee, red wine, smoke...I believe they got two shades whiter. I remember them saying teeth have a natural limit so even if I bleached and bleached that's as white as they would get. I think I only used the trays a few times and I am sure they are not as white as they were after I got the treatment but I don't feel like they are yellow either. I am sure this is very unhelpful for you! Haha.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I am having trouble with the search function. I started a thread right after I got zoom done.

VR, I know a few people with the blueish tint. Not a natural look. Haha.

 

[tuffyluvr]

My dad has the bluish teeth... Ugh. He is addicted to tooth whitening!!! Not a good look at all

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Found my old thread. Guess I knew I had sensitive teeth at the time. My memory is shot. Haha.

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/zoom-teeth-whitening.46282/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/zoom-teeth-whitening.46282/[/URL]

 

[JewelFreak]

Lizzyann, I wasn't talking about you specifically, sorry if that didn't come across. Blue tint is kind of what I meant. I asked about the over-the-counter ones because a little brightening up would make me happy too. Some people -- especially tv talking heads, but I've seen a few normal folks -- take it so far they look fake & silly. Too awful for words when they combine it with a spray-on tan, as a guy who came into Tiffany's did once. I could hardly keep a straight face.

VRB, interesting about the "American Standard." Maybe 15 yrs ago my dentist compared the lightest sample for caps to his white porcelain instrument table to show me that teeth are not naturally a true white; I was surprised at the difference, in fact. Guess the norm of what people want has changed, huh?

--- Laurie

 

[Mayk]

I use my trays one day about three times a year. I maintain with Crest Whitening Toothpaste smaller tube more expensive and the mouthwash by Crest for Whitenng. (Kenny is correct the peroxide in it... But it tastes a little better). I drink wine and hit tea... But find this works well for me and i'm not over white....

 

[iheartscience]

I got the trays from my dentist before my wedding 3.5 years ago. They made my teeth way whiter, but definitely caused sensitivity. I haven't used them since out of general laziness! I did use Crest White Strips a couple of months ago to brighten them up. I think once you do a major whitening (dental trays, Zoom, etc.) it lasts for quite a while, unless you want the crazy white color. I'm fine with just non-yellow teeth myself-my vanity only goes so far.